'Gunman' sparks police alert

MORE than a dozen police officers were involved in the chase to find a 19-year-old man waving a weapon that resembled a semi-automatic pistol.

A pedestrian spotted the teenager waving the weapon at other motorists as he sat in the passenger seat of a car travelling through the centre of Hailsham on Thursday last week.

The police informant said she feared the man would shoot at other motorists or pedestrians.

Responding to a potentially serious firearms incident, 14 officers were deployed in the immediate area with several more on standby. Armed officers were also used as part of the search.

After two-and-a-half hours the teenager and weapon - which turned out to be a ball bearing gun - were surrendered to Hailsham Police Station in George Street. No offences were reported against the man.

Chief Inspector Grenville Wilson said prompt action would always be taken when reports involved firearms.

Though this turned out to be a ball bearing gun, the initial report suggested we could have been dealing with a serious firearms incident.

BB Gun users should remember that while it is not illegal to carry this type of weapon, it is an offence to use it in a threatening or alarming manner.

The individual in this case recognised these points and happily surrendered the weapon to staff at Hailsham Police Station later in the evening.

He added: The public can be reassured that when their safety is at risk we will treat such reports seriously by deploying as many officers as resources allow.